Chapter Twenty-Six: The Mysterious Elder Appears!

When Su Yi saw the newcomer, his expression changed. "It's you?!"

The figure was shrouded from head to toe in a black robe, making it impossible to discern any features. Yet Su Yi recognized him at once—this was the mysterious old man who had bid on the Heaven and Earth Shift, a profound-level martial technique, at the auction earlier.

He was also the very one Su Yi suspected had secretly poisoned him!

To find someone else in his room—someone whose presence he hadn't sensed at all—unnerved even someone as composed as Su Yi. Instinctively, he took a few steps back, putting distance between himself and the mysterious elder.

The old man remained motionless, a chilling smile on his lips. "Are you wondering when I arrived?"

Su Yi swallowed, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

"I was here before you even entered," the old man chuckled.

"How is that possible?! When I came in I—" Su Yi's face betrayed his disbelief.

A mocking tone colored the old man's reply. "If someone like you, who hasn't even stepped into the ranks of fighters, could detect me so easily, I wouldn't have survived this continent for long. Heh... and if I hadn't intervened a moment ago, you wouldn't even be aware of your own demise."

Strangely, this made Su Yi calm down. He had always trusted in his spiritual and sensory abilities. If even he had failed to notice the intruder, then the old man's power must surpass his own by a wide margin. Perhaps some secret method was at work to conceal his presence, but in the end, that too was a testament to his strength.

The adage proved true: those who come unbidden rarely bear good intentions. This old man had hidden here, waiting for him—clearly up to no good. Facing such overwhelming power, resistance was the worst option. It was better to wait and see.

Noticing Su Yi's sudden composure, the old man seemed both surprised and approving. He laughed. "You have a good temperament. For someone your age, that's quite rare. But what interests me most are the secrets you carry."

"Oh?" Su Yi's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive. "What secrets could I possibly have?"

The old man's voice was cold and sinister. "The other day, when I patted your shoulder, I planted the Poison of Divinity's Ruin. In less than a day, it should have turned you into a docile, mindless puppet. Yet, you're unscathed—remarkably so..."

Su Yi's heart clenched. As expected, it was this old man. Yet he only frowned slightly and asked, "Did I wrong you in some way?"

If there was a grudge, it must have originated before he took possession of this body. Could this mysterious old man have known the former Su Yi from three years ago? The thought stirred his curiosity.

"Of course not," the old man said languidly. "It's just that, since you've lost the ability to cultivate martial energy, you might as well serve as my test subject—to see how far the Body Refinement Technique can go."

"Body Refinement Technique?" Su Yi echoed with surprise. He recalled the old man's words from before—it was true. "You know how to cultivate it? I heard that method had been lost for many years."

The old man cackled. "The organization I serve is far more powerful than you can imagine. Gathering such knowledge is a trivial matter. To be frank, many so-called lost training methods on this continent are in my hands. With my own research and understanding, they're quite complete by now."

A chilling gaze swept over Su Yi as the old man continued. "My methods yield good results. Unfortunately, the test subjects all died in the end. Then I received a new assignment and had no time to continue. When I saw you, I thought you would make the perfect next subject..."

Died?

A chill ran down Su Yi's spine. He tried to move, but found himself completely suppressed by the old man's aura, unable to budge. Forced to speak, he did his best to steady his voice. "What kind of training methods are these?"

The old man let out a sinister laugh. "For you, they may not be a curse, but a blessing. Ordinary people think that strength comes from exercise and pushing one's limits. That's nonsense! Human strength is nothing compared to the forces of nature, to the power of heaven and earth! Punching, running, carrying weights—do you really think that will strengthen the body?"

"Far from it! At best, you gain a little more strength. True refinement requires harnessing nature's might. The elements are countless—you must withstand hurricanes that can tear flesh from bone, endure the lava of ancient volcanoes, survive the icy depths of the coldest waters, be buried beneath the hardest stone, even endure lightning from the highest heavens... Of course, I use medicines and secret arts to modify the subjects' bodies, helping them adapt to these extremes..."

The old man's delighted laughter sent a chill through Su Yi. Such sadistic methods—no wonder the subjects rarely survived. Still, curiosity got the better of him. "Did any of them succeed?"

"Of course!" the old man replied. "The strongest was the one immune to fire. After my training, his body could withstand all flames except those from sixth-rank and higher magical beasts. His power reached the pinnacle of Battle King!"

Su Yi was shaken. A sixth-rank magical beast was equivalent to a Battle Emperor among humans! And a Battle King at his peak could count among the top ten experts of the Grand Empire! Yet such a person was merely an experimental subject in this old man's eyes.

He hesitated to believe it, but recalling the fate of the other test subjects, he shook his head. "How did he die?"

The old man sighed, almost regretfully. "He was my last and strongest subject. But in the end, something went wrong—his body exploded. Perhaps my method is flawed?"

Body... explosion? Su Yi shuddered. What a terrifying way to die.

With a wicked grin, the old man spun around and, in a flash, appeared beside Su Yi. Before Su Yi could react, his white mask was snatched away, and the old man's palm struck his chest. Su Yi didn't even have time to cry out before he was hurled against the wall and crashed to the floor.

The force of the blow made him cough blood; his organs felt as if they had shifted inside him. He groaned, unable to move a muscle.

The old man ignored him, examining the mask with great care. After several checks, he muttered, "Seems to have some secrets. I'll look into it later." With a twist of his storage ring, the mask vanished inside. Only then did he turn his attention to the helpless Su Yi.

Pain wracked every inch of Su Yi's body; he felt as if he had fallen apart, even speaking was a monumental effort. He had assumed that, despite the gap in strength, he could at least withstand one blow from the old man. Now he realized he had been gravely mistaken.

The old man's power was such that even the elders of the Lie Clan would be hard-pressed to match him. Could he be a Dragon Realm fighter—a Doulong? If so, Changling City had never seen such strength; the highest there were only sixth-tier Douluo. Of course, the true strength of the enigmatic Uncle Moben at the auction was unknown.

Staring at Su Yi, who lay motionless on the floor, the old man's voice drifted coldly from beneath his black robe. "Heh, I've told you all this so you'll understand the benefits of being my subject. You're useless now. Why not give your life to me? Who knows, you may one day rise to greatness."

"Of course," he sneered, "to ensure your obedience, I must turn you into a docile, mindless puppet. Don't worry—once you become my puppet, you won't feel a thing, not even pain..."

As he spoke, the old man's right hand lifted, and black mist began to swirl around it, growing denser and denser until it looked like black flames engulfing his hand.

With a cruel smile, he raised his right hand high and brought it crashing down towards Su Yi!

End of Chapter 26: The Mysterious Elder Appears!